Even now, though, there’s some distance between fans and creator. All the communication about the Steam release and the upcoming project is being done through the publisher, AGM Playism, and Kadokawa, the production company that is handling the new project. A representative from Playism confirmed to Kotaku that Kikiyama was involved in the Steam release, though.

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The question of who Kikiyama is adds to the cult appeal of Yume Nikki. Denby described it as like an alternate reality game, but for a real person. As a game, Yume Nikki is full of secrets, and most of playing it is finding things that are hidden. There’s something maddening about knowing that even if you finish the game, you’ll never know much about the person who made it.

The game’s Steam release has revived that topic for some fans, but people seem resigned to the fact that they will probably never know who Kikiyama is. On a topic from the Yume Nikki subreddit titled, “The 2017 Hunt for Kikiyama HP is a go,” one person said, “It would be nice if some day Kikiyama could finally come into the public eye, but at this point [they] probably prefer it this way.”

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Before the Steam news hit, some fans thought Kikiyama may have committed suicide, based on the dark subject matter of the game, or that they died in 2011 Tohoku earthquake. “The last email they ever replied to was allegedly shortly before the earthquake hit,” Denby said. Still, die hard fans of the game are looking for any way to contact the developer. It’s not because they are trying to solve a mystery. It’s because Yume Nikki has made a very strong impact on their lives. At least now we know Kikiyama is still alive.